Children's Day

A month ago, when we were celebrating Father's Day (I'm chronically tardy), Nate got in a little funk. I asked him what the problem was and he replied, "It's not fair, Mommy. You get Mother's Day and Daddy gets Father's Day. When do we get to have Children's Day?"

Only every single other day in the year, Nate. Every single day.

Devil's Food

We enjoyed Nate and Abby's birthday party today at scenic Hawaiian Falls Waterpark in Mansfield. Lots of fun (except for the inevitable sunburn). My rocking g-ma Nancy shared a fabulous trick for cookie cake with me. You mix up a cake mix with 3 eggs, half a cup of oil and a bunch of chocolate chips. Pat into a cookie pan and bake for 15ish minutes at 350. Voila! A cookie cake to rival Mrs. Fields. And cheap to boot!

So to make our cakes we picked up some cake mixes at Walmart on Sunday after church. And as we stood in the aisle Nate and I argued over cake mixes. He was insisting on a certain brand because it "looked chocolater" on the box. (I wanted the cheaper one). Finally he read out that it was "Devil's Food" flavor, so it must be good.

Back up the train. When did something super rich and wonderful come to be associated with the devil? Why do we call luscious foods sinful? Is it because they make our tushes big, or have we swallowed the enemy's lie, yet again? Do we believe that God alone has everlasting pleasures for us, or do we secretly believe that the devil really has the goods?

Oh that we would have the faith to believe that the things God says about His place and His pleasures are true. If we could just grasp for one second the magnitude of Heaven I think it would forever change the way we operate here on Earth.

And his Jesus' food cake was pretty darn tasty.

Pajama Party.

So, sometimes we have pajama parties with kids. You know the drill. Everyone puts on jammas, we pop popcorn and watch a movie. Lots o' fun.

Yesterday the older three went with Philip to the water park. They came home all worn out and after dinner they went up to put on jammas. As they came down stairs I heard Anna begging to have a pajama party. To which my dear husband replied, "Hmm, Anna, I'm kind of worn out. Maybe we could just have a pajama get together."

Hee hee.

Box day requests

I've been eagerly scanning the horizon for the Fed Ex man, as I'm awaiting the arrival of our box from Rainbow Resource. The kids and I are thrilled when our box of homeschool materials shows up and we get to rifle through, looking at all the neat books and games we will enjoy this year.

We went to the library this morning and on the way home I mentioned that I hoped the box would get here today. Nate says, "Yeah, and I hope there's food in it too, 'cause I got the munchies."

Um, yeah, doubt it.

Good gifts

Recently, I've been obsessed with reading missionary and overseas blogs. I was reading about a young couple in South Asia who recently lost a baby and nearly lost the mommy. The husband recounted the harrowing ordeal and ended by talking about their tiny stillborn daughter as an offering to God (not in a creepy Molech way, but in a "here's my grief, use it, Lord" sort of way.) I was reminded about how the Bible says in Revelation that we will receive crowns as our rewards for good deeds on earth. And how we, in turn, will cast those crowns before the Lamb, as only He is worthy to receive honor and glory. I was thinking what a beautiful crown this couple will have to lay at His feet.

What will my crown look like? Will I have a lovely thing to lay at the feet of my King? Will anything I have done survive the fire of purification? Or is it all done in my self-interest? I want to learn to live my life looking, as the Puritans said, with a single eye for His glory.

What do I want them to remember?

Philip and I were talking the other day about our memories of childhood. I was remembering all the fun things I did with my parents and wondered what things will stick out in my children's minds about growing up. I pray that they will remember the fun things we did and the love I showed, instead of the times I was short tempered or too tired to play with them.

I remembered what our beloved ORU campus pastor used to say. His favorite catchphrase was "hindsight in foresight position." In other words, when you think about the future, what decision are you going to wish you had made? This can apply to everything from laundry to childrearing (ie, tomorrow, when I'm frantically trying to find a clean bra, will I wish I had gotten off my keister right now and done laundry?).

So what do I want my kids to remember? I want them to remember me that I was patient. That I was gentle when I disciplined. That we laughed a lot and played a lot of games. That I read them lots of books. That I included them in my daily work and taught them how to keep a home. That I delighted in spending time with them and was genuinely joyful in their presence.

I don't want them to remember me as a disengaged computer-addicted mom who only disciplined when a behavior annoyed her. I don't want them to remember being treated like a nuisance. I don't want them to feel as though they were not valued, or that their contribution to the family did not matter. I don't want them to feel spiritually adrift and undisciplined in their pursuits of God.

In order for these things to happen I must do as the Psalmist said. "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Ps 90:12). I must remember how short my days with my children are (is Nathaniel really going to be eight in two weeks!?!). It is wisdom to realize that this time of diapers and runny noses and toddler squabbles and soft, teachable hearts is short - I need to make the most of it.

Deep thoughts from Nate

Nathaniel and I were talking last night and he was very upset. He said that he was mad at God because God isn't fair. I asked what he meant and he replied that he didn't think God was fair to the devil. He wanted to know why the devil could not repent. He thought if God was fair He would give the devil a chance to say he was sorry and be forgiven. I pondered this for a moment and realized that Nate was giving me a great jumping off point for discussing the devil's schemes.

I explained that the devil knew God personally in all His glory and still chose to rebel, so the chances of him being sorry and even wanting to repent are slim to none. But that aside, the gift of repentence is huge. We are blessed with the ability to come to God and have Him forgive us and wash us clean. We can have our slate wiped and start again with renewed fellowship. But the devil can't. No wonder he is out to steal, kill and destroy. He can never undo or make right the trespasses he has committed. So he tries to take as many of us down with him as he can.

Today, I am going to give thanks again for the marvelous privilege of repentance and reconciliation. We serve a good God.

Flirt!

Gabe was quite the little flirt when we visited Grandma Jean.

He sees a pretty girl:


He crawls over to squeal at her:


And then he quickly moves in for a kiss:


Quite the ladies' man, eh?

More ER advice (Adults only)

Since it is summertime, I am working more while Philip is off from school. I am meeting some high class folks and want to share some wisdom I've gleaned from them.

Ambulances are awesome. But not the appropriate mode of transport to the hospital for your sore throat or runny nose.

I cannot tell if you are pregnant over the phone.

Nor can I diagnose your rash, tell you if your arm is broken or determine if you need stitches.

The ER doctor is NOT your primary care physician.

You did not get herpes from the toilet, you got it from sex, really.

You might need to reevaluate your life choices if you have to look in your date book to determine who might be the father of your baby.

A fever of 100.6 and 106 are two entirely different things. Decimals mean a great deal.

Abcesses or boils are generally NOT brown recluse spider bites. If you did not see a spider bite you, chances are a spider did not bite you.

I tell you that you are pregnant. You cry, "How did this happen?" Do you really want me to explain it? 'Cause I'm pretty sure the Immaculate Conception was a one time deal.

Vomiting one time does not mean that you need to go directly to the ER. Many people vomit and go on to live happy, productive lives.

If you are unhappy about your inability to afford a dentist for your 3 month toothache, perhaps you should stop smoking 2 packs a day, save the cigarette money and use that to pay the dentist.

Some holes are "out holes" and should stay that way, if you get my drift.

Tell us the truth about your injury. We will not believe you when you say you fell and accidentally had a plastic banana/glass bottle/lug wrench/etc shoved up your rear. We are not that dumb.

I'm sure there are more wonderful things I will learn from my patients this summer. So stay tuned.

Popsicle!

How can you not love this face?